Switch



C. C. STRAYFR.

SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED AUG. I5, 1921.

1,408,484. en ed Mar- 7, 1922.

3 $HEET$SHET l- Z. 35 25 C. C. STRAYER.

SWITCH.

APPLICA ION FILED AUG. 15. I92!- Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

3 SHKETS-SHEET 2.

0. C. STRAYEH.

SWITCH.

APPLICATIQN FILED AUG. 15. I921.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

3 SHEET$-SHEET 3.

Char-2&5 CT S'trayer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application filed August 15, 1921. Serial No. 492,339.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. Snuinm,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and "Statepf Pennsylvania. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway switches and has for its object the provision of means whereby a Switch point or tongue ma be thrown by the moto-rman of an approac ing car withoutstoppi the car or requiring the motorman to align. The invention also seeks to provide means whereby the swit h point or tongue will be thrown promptly and with certainty and also to provlde means whereby water which might tend to collect around the operating parts and freezin so as to revent the successful operation 0 the switcli may be drained into a sewer or other outlet. The invention also seeks to rovide mechanism for the stated purpose which will be simple in the construction and arrangement of its parts and will not be a t to get out of order. The invention is il ustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch embodying my invention;

Fig. 2' is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in lo itudinal section, of the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the. line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a. transverse section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The track 1 may be of an well-known or preferred construction an will be connected with the side track 2 through a tongue switch and a switch mate 3*. The switch is constructed with a recess or chamber 4 in its 'upper side and the tongue 5 is ivotall mounted at one end of this cham er wit its upper surface flush with the upper sur face of the switch the car being permitted to continue upon the main track or being deflected onto the side track or branch according to the position of the tongue. Openings 6 are formed through the bottom of the switch in any desired number so as to permit snow or rain to drain into the pit 7 below the same. In the under side of the tongue 5 is a recess 8 which is engaged by the upstanding arm 9 of a rocker or three-armed lever whlch is pivoted midway its ends within the pit 7. The arm 9, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, rises centrally from the lever or rocker 10 which is fulcrumecl upon a suitable bracket 11 supported in any convenient manner within the pit. Covers 12 of any convenient or preferred construction are provided over the pit so that it will be normally closed but access may be readily had to the pit when repairs or inspection may be necessary. A sewer or other outlet 13 is provided in the bottom of the pit '7 so that any moisture within the pit may be carried off to any convenient int.

Below the ends of the lever 10, I provide guide pulleys 14 which are mounted upon suitable supports 15 within the pit, and cables or chains 1.6 are secured to the opposite ends of the lever, as clearly shown. The cables extend downwardly from the ends of the lever and pass under the guide pulleys 14 to guide pulleys 17 which are provided in the the pit 7 adjacent one end of a conduit 18 which extends substantially parallel with the main track. From the guide pulleys 17 the cables pass through the conduit 18 to similar guide pulleys 19 at the opposite and of the conduit within a pit 20 which is disposed transversely ofth'e track and is equip d with cover plates 21 corresponding to t 1e covers 12 over the it 7. 'From the horizontally disposed pueye 19, the cables 16 extend inwardly to points under the track where they pass around horizontally disposed guide pulleys 22 mounted in suitable supports u on the front wall of the pit 20, the ends 0 the cable being then secured in any convenient manner to the do ending arms 23 of angle levers which are fulizrumed adjacent the top of the pit and have their up or arms 24 extending rearwardly from t icir Iulcrums and adapted to project through slots 25 in plates 26 disposedin the roadbed between the rails of the track. The upper arms 24 of the angle levers also have their upper surfaces smooth and one of the said lever arms will project above the roadbed and present an inclined surface to an approaching car according to the position of the switch tongue and the three-armed lever engagin the same. Upon reference to Figs. 1 4 it will be new? that the angle liners are disposed one I have ilustrated, in a conventional mannor, a pneumatic motor for depressing these plungers or trippers which motor is governed from the motormans controller, indicated conventionally at 28.

Upon reference to F ig. 2, it will be noted that the conduit 18 is inclined downwardly same time, a

from the pit 20 to the pit 7 so that any moisture which may condense therein will readily drain into the pit 7 from which it will escape through the outlet 13 and it will also be noted that a drain pipe 29 is provided extending from the bottom of the pit 20 to the outlet 13 so that any rain or other moisture which may enter the pit 20 will be readily drained therefrom.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation of the apparatus will be readily understood. As the motorman of an approaching car comes near the switch, he will depress one or the other plunger or tripper 27 and this depressed or lowered plunger or tripper will ride upon the lever arm 2a which is in its path and will depress said arm thereby swinging the angle lever about its fulcrum so that the arm 23 swings rearwardly and pulls upon the cable 16 attached thereto. The pull upon the cable will be transmitted through the same to the threearmed lever or rocker 10 and said lever will be oscillated or rocked upon its pivot so that the 11 standing arm 9 will be swung trans-- verse y of the track. Inasmuch as the upper extremity of this arm enga es constantly in a socket in the under site of the switch tongue, the tongue will be moved in one or the other direction accordingly as one or the other angle lever is actuated by the corresponding tri per 27. Of course, as one angle lever is e ressed, the movement will be transmitted through the attached cable to the corresponding arm or end of the lever 10 and the tongue will be thrown. At the ull will be exerted in the opposite direction upon the other cable 16 so that one angle lever will always swing upwardly as the other swings downwardly, thereby maintaining a balance between the several parts of the mechanism so that they will move easily and readily under the pres sure exerted upon either angle lever by the depressed tripper or plunger. This state of equilibrium existing in the mechanism will iilso aid in maintainingthe cables 16 taut so that they will res 0nd instantly to the actuatin force, an to compensate for any possible stretching of the cable, I prefer to connect them to the angle levers by screw eyes 30 which are threaded through the arms 23 of said levers and may be readily adjusted therein so as to set up the proper tension in the cables.

It will be readily seen that I have provided a mechanism which may be installed at a low cost and which will be operative under all weather conditions. The action of the device is not dependent upon any sprin or similar devices which deteriorate throng constant. use, and the motorman in control of a car, approaching the switch may readily determine, before he reaches the switch, whether it is necessary for him to depress either of, the plungers or trippers and, of course, heogill know which plunger or tripper to depress if it be necessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination with a railway track, of pits disposed below the track and transversely thereto, a switch tongue pivotally mounted above one of said pits, a rocker in the pit below the switch tongue operatively engaged with said switch tongue, a conduit extending between the pits, angle levers mounted in the upper portion of the pit remote from the switch tongue and each having one arm depending into the. pit and another arm projertin through the top of the same, means for se actively actuating said angle levers, and cables passing ,through the conduit and'each attached at' one end to the depending arm of an angle lever and at its opposite end to an end of the rocker.

2. The combination with a railway track, of spaced pits below the track and transversely thereto, a switch extending over one of the pits and interposed in the track and having drain openings formed through its bottom, a tongue pivotally mounted on said switch, a rocker in the it below the switch operatively engaged wit 1 said tongue, angle levers mounted in the upper portion of the other pit, means for selectively actuating said angle le ers. cables each conneetin an angle lever with a corresponding en "of the rocker, a drainage outlet from the firstmentioned pit, and a drain pipe connecting the second-mentioned pit with the outlet from the firstmeutioned pit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES C. STRAYER. 

